SHIMLA: Congress has termed horticulture minister's statement on cutting GST rate by six percent on the packing material of apples as "a hoax". He has played a lewd joke at the behest of Chief Minister with hundreds of farmers of the state, Congress charged.
In a statement issued here today Congress spokesperson Saurabh Chauhan claimed HPMC and other government agencies have never been able to meet the demand of the horticulturists.
The horticulturists are compelled to buy the packing material from the open market and the government is unable to provide any relief in such a situation.
In such a situation, instead of 18 percent GST on cartons & packaging material, the promise of making it available at the old rate of 12 percent GST is a hoax, he claimed.
The farmers are forced to buy it open market and in such a situation the government is not providing any relief.
Saurabh Chauhan said increase of Re 1 per kg in support price for the purchase of fruits of apple, mango and lemon varieties like kinnow, malta, orange and galgal is very less.
"This time the size of the apple is expected to be relatively small, so the government should have increased the support price appropriately this time".
Saurabh Chauhan alleged that BJP was breaking the back bone of apple horticulturists under a well-thought-out strategy.
He said that today the cost of production of apples, marketing/ packaging is increasing continuously. Even today, the horticulturists have to buy pesticides at very expensive rates.
Similarly, trays and cartons for packing are being bought by the gardeners at double rate this year as compared to last year.
The government has made every effort to break the back bone of the farmers by bringing apples under the ambit of GST.
Congress warn that the BJP government of the state, has said that if the government does not solve the problems of the horticulturists soon, then the Congress party will start a big mass movement against the government in the pan state.
